Brummet's Conscious Blog

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Easier Gardening * Today's article was written by Siman Ballard, who kindly posted this on an article distribution site I sometimes use. Thanks Siman for making this available to the media :) The article was a bit large, however so I have opted to split it into 2 parts. The first part was published on May 3rd... today it continues.... Gardening is no easy task, especially if you have put quite a lot of effort into it. It won't take you long before tending to the flower beds, pruning and doing all sorts of other gardening chores starts to feel tiring and overwhelming. The purpose of gardening is to make you feel happy, not super tired. To achieve this, you can adopt a few clever tricks that will make the workflow easy. The following techniques aim to keep you sharp on the gardening jobs while helping you conserve your energy. Use only ergonomic tools There is a wide variety of tools available out there, and you can make a choice to get more convenient ones. For instance, there a...

 - Gardening Tips -  The National Wildlife Federation has recently published their  annual  April–May special issue  focused on gardening for wildlife.  Enjoy learning about the benefits of growing food for both wildlife and human health.  Be inspired by efforts in Philadelphia to transform empty lots into havens for people and pollinators.  Learn how to safely control mosquitoes and spot invasive jumping worms—and more. Access this free resource here:  April–May special issue   You'll have to sign up , it is free.  ~~   Visit the Brummet's @:  http://BrummetMedia.ca ~~

Easier Gardening * Today's article was written by Siman Ballard, who kindly posted this on an article distribution site I sometimes use. Thanks Siman for making this available to the media :) The article was a bit large, however so I have opted to split it into 2 parts. The second part will be published on the 21st. Gardening is no easy task, especially if you have put quite a lot of effort into it. It won't take you long before tending to the flower beds, pruning and doing all sorts of other gardening chores starts to feel tiring and overwhelming. The purpose of gardening is to make you feel happy, not super tired. To achieve this, you can adopt a few clever tricks that will make the workflow easy. The following techniques aim to keep you sharp on the gardening jobs while helping you conserve your energy. Raised beds are a blessing Whether made of wood (manufactured or regular), pavers or concrete blocks, you can bet that they will make your gardening efforts easy. You needn...

Oh SQUASH It  One of our favourite harvests is winter squash with its many varieties of colours, flavours, shapes and sizes.  It is hard to get tired of using them for making some really good food recipes.  When choosing any winter squash from a farmer's stand, test the skin with your thumbnail. It should feel hard, solid and nearly impenetrable. The vine end should be dry and shrivelled; the small bit of vine will often fall off as the squash ripens more in storage. The base end, likewise, should feel very dry. Choosing squash that have been fully ripened and properly cured ensures your squash will keep well into the winter.  When you are in the possession of an unripe winter squash, you can still use it in the kitchen and turn it into another delicious, super easy dish.  Simply cut in half (or quarters) and scoop out the seeds (don’t bother saving unripe seeds for snacks, there’s no meat in them). Then cut it into 1.5 " thick slices.  In a small bowl, mix...

Control Carrot and Celery Fly  * Today's article was written by Richard Haigh; he  writes regularly at The-Organic-Grower.blogspot.com   and invites you to read more of his articles about organic gardening there. That little pest that really annoys me is the Carrot fly: A creature that is a member of the Psilidae family, also called " Rust Flies ". Apart from eating carrots, they can also be found on: celery, parsnips and parsley. I seems me that they are out to get my crop, what ever I do. To understand them, the place to start is to know what they do. The fly lays their eggs at the base of the plant, they hatch and start eating the nearest food, which is, your crop. The fly is attacked to the seedlings by the odour of them There are two ways of preventing this, both of them, try to make the crop distasteful to the fly. One way of doing this is to soak sawdust in paraffin and spread this down between the rows. Another idea is to spread wood ash over the whole seed-bed. H...

Controlling Greenhouse Humidity Levels  * This article was written by Shalini M. who posted it on one of the article distribution site I utilize occasionally. Her bio didn't have any information so unfortunately I cannot pass on her website etc. However here is her excellent advice: If you want your plants to grow well in a greenhouse, make sure the humidity level is in the desired range. Excessive humidity can kill the plants because of mold and mildew growth. It can cause fungal infection in the roots, stems, and leaves of the plants. Let's find out about the effects of greenhouse humidity and how you can control it. Read on. In a greenhouse environment, excessive humidity can result in the accumulation of condensation on the glass walls. These water droplets fall on the leaves of the plants and may cause fungal infection. If you have a lot of plants placed next to each other in the greenhouse, the spread of fungal across the plants can cost you a lot of money, and you may ha...

Kudo's to the amazing work this one organization, and all their awesome volunteers, accomplished in 2019!! Pollinator Partnership Canada 's Year in Review! - planted over 6000 native flowers, grasses and shrubs with over 1000 students from 16 different schools - successfully concluded a two-year project across Ontario that saw the creation of 49 new monarch habitat sites, including school gardens, natural areas restorations, and 20 farms - conducted over 20 outreach events in Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland informing the public about the importance of pollinators and ways to help them - developed and launched the Canadian School Garden and Curriculum Kit - presented case studies at the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s workshop on Pollinator Habitat Restoration on Rights-of-Way in Ottawa - launched the Youth Pollinator Leadership Team in Victoria, BC - established 2 pollinator gardens in the City of Victoria in Community Gardens, along with educati...

Recommended Resources These 3 resources below offer inspiring information for those with a passion for nature: -- Check out this amazing gardener's resource - learn how to help bees and other pollinators out, alternative garden and farm methods, programs and projects that might be fun to either learn about or participate in... and more: https://pollinator.org/blog -- Children's Water Education Council empowers children and youth to initiate change within their homes, schools and communities - helping young people become catalysts for change and to develop a positive connection to the environment. Info: Cwec.ca -- Citizen Scientists is a volunteer non-profit group that allows volunteers of all ages to help scientists by providing data on ecological monitoring via programs like bat, bird or bee count projects (people count, photograph and document sightings from their window, garden or local natural spaces). They offer training and educational materials, all kinds of projec...

Seedy Saturdays ... have you ever been to a seed exchange? It can be an experience to remember. As you stroll down the booths, you'll hear interesting conversations with knowledgeable gardeners, farmers who have deep roots in the area -  possibly for generations. Depending on the size of the event, you'll see a huge array of varieties, most of which you've probably never heard of and be introduced to all shapes, sizes and colours of pretty much anything you can think of.  Attending events like these also introduces local food and beverage producers who are offering snacks and refreshments. You'll learn of groups and organizations (both big and small, unofficial ones) that may peak your interest. Often, non-profits will display information packages where you might learn about citizen science projects in your area, things your kids can get involved in, learn how seniors are helping the non-profits, and much more.  *if you would like your event listed here - just reac...